


Jubilant

by HushBekk



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Author is a Toby Smith | Tubbo Apologist, Brotherly Bonding, Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Deity Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Third Person, Pre-Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), References to Depression, Running Away, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, Toby Smith | Tubbo and TommyInnit Run Away, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28952691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HushBekk/pseuds/HushBekk
Summary: Hours before Wilbur had plotted to blow the city up to the skies, leaving only numb memories and echoes of empty promises. They were now seating on the bench they had placed back when the nation was running its elections. The sun had started to set hours ago, leaving the sky tainted with fain red and orange colours.“Are we really going with him?”Tubbo took a moment before responding “Well yeah, it’s kinda favorable to have him by our side ya know?”Or: in an alternate universe, three men ran away before the festival took place, leading to a peculiar set of events.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 2
Kudos: 139





	1. Sometimes home doesn´t feel safe anymore

**Author's Note:**

> No trigger warning are needed in this chapter other that sightly mentions of violence due the wars! Enjoy.

In a small clear in the forest by a cliff that gave view to all the land of the SMP, the two teens were discussing everything that had happened in the span of a week. Tubbo had fled from the administration office a few days prior to the “incident”

What was that incident you way ask?

Hours before Wilbur had plotted to blow the city up to the skies, leaving only numb memories and echoes of empty promises. Tommy was the unfortunate one to witness the other´s downfall. He tried talking his brother out of his idea, but Will seemed unapproachable to anyone.

They were now seating on the bench they had placed back when the nation was running its elections. The sun had started to set hours ago, leaving the sky tainted with fain red and orange colours.

The starts were barely there in the sky, sparkling every once in a while.

“Tommy…” Tubbo wanted to comfort his friend, but the other just kept ranting and fuming over the issue. When he finally calmed himself enough, he said “I think it’s better if we run away at this point, you know?”

The brunette was taken aback “wha-? Why?!”

The blonde stood up from the wooden bench “There’s nothing left to do, Will is gonna blow up L´Manberg to the skies!” Tommy screamed. The idea of the nation he fought so hard for being blown to the skies made him mad beyond repair. He knew better than to oppose Wilbur in his crazed state.

The crazed eyes of his brother are going to haunt his nightmares for a while.

Both of them agreed that running away was the best course of action for now. Even if they had no idea to where to go or how to survive on their own, they would adapt, they always do…

Suddenly, a twig snapped a few feet away from them

Dream emerged from the bushes, holding a torch in one hand and his axe in the other “What are you both doing here so late, shouldn’t you be on Pogtopia?” he said, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Before Tubbo could greet him, Tommy was quick to point his sword at him.

The iron blade shimmered in the soft light of the night “Since when do you care, dipshit?” he spat, the other man remained calm and composed “and put your hands in the air where I can see them” Dream was quick to comply to the teen´s demands, if that could proof that he didn’t come here to pick a fight then so be it.

He even tossed his axe to one side, dumping it with a clanking noise as it hit the hard ground. He held the torch as high as he could.

“Who says I’ve never cared for both of you?”

Tubbo felt a pang of nostalgia from years before the wars, back when he and Dream had just met. The other had just turned 19 that day. It had been a sunny day, where the clouds were sparse and the air was humid and warm. He remembers walking alongside Tommy and….

He shook his head; it wasn’t time to recall happy memories.

Dream continued speaking, never once bothering to lower his arms from the position Tommy had demanded out of him “Technically, I’ve always been on a more neutral side of things. Well, since L´Manberg, ya know?”

There was a long pause before tommy spoke again, his voice more calm than before.

“Why should we trust you, Dream?”

The masked man lowered his hands and looked at them for a moment. Tommy didn’t fail to notice the small scars that coated his freckled skin. Some of them looked more prominent than the others.

His fingers were slightly crooked from being broken many times during hunts or fights, and they would shake every once in a while. Tommy didn’t know if it was from pain or anxiety.

It took a while before Dream spoke again

“Cuz I have nothing left to lose. George is always away with Quackity and the others, and Sapnap and I are in not good terms” he made a pause before continuing, swallowing the painful lump in his throat as he thought about his friends “For once, I think it’ll be better to stand aside and flee”

His hair flowed in the chill breeze

“It’s better to finally be free”

There was silence for a moment before Tommy spoke again, his voice less wary than before. It wasn’t bright and friendly as Tubbo’s, but it certainly was welcoming.

“Don’t expect me to trust you that easily”

He let out a short wheezy laugh before responding to the teen “I’m not underestimating you Tom´s” he said as he picked his axe from the ground, dusting it off.

“…whatever…”

Hopefully, one day they would be in good terms again

But for now all Tubbo could do was stand by and watch as Tommy interrogated the other man

“So, where are we going? Do you have a plan?” the teen asked

The masked man pointed to the south “Far, very far away; preferably if it’s far even by Nether traveling standards”

The idea was very appealing to both teens

“Go to your bases to pack your things, I’ll meet you both in front of the old L´Manberg gates by dawn”

And with that the other left. Leaving the hopeful teens behind.

-x-

It was midnight, and the two teens were finishing packing up their belongings.

The clock on the wall made soft ticking noises, marking each minute that passed by.

It was 12:37am.

The two teens were packing up their belongings, carefully tip-toeing all over the place so they wouldn’t wake up the others. Both of them opted to avoid using the lamps or torches. It was hard to see due to the darkness that engulfed their room, but that way neither Will nor Techno would wake up.

“Are we really going with him?”

The blonde barely whispered; his voice laced with doubt.

Tubbo took a moment before responding “Well yeah, it’s kinda favorable to have him by our side ya know?” he said as he folded one green shirt and placed in into his bag.

Another minute passed before Tommy spoke up again “Isn’t he your brother?” he asked Tubbo as he shoved another jacket into his bag. Despite his best efforts to fold all his clothes it became clear that he would only shove everything inside the bag and pray that it stayed closed.

Tubbo chuckled at his best friend and his antics

“…biologically? Yes, he is” he paused for a moment “But I think we were separated when he was a young kid and I was a baby, at least that’s what Wilbur told me; so we don’t really know eachother”

It was an old story that Wilbur told him one night he had been particularly curious about his past. At first Tubbo didn’t believe what the other had told him that night, but the more he though about it, the more it became obvious.

For instance, Dream refused to attack him directly during battle, he even rescued him once when a wall of the inner city of L´Manberg caved down. And before the wars the blonde had been a good companion to him.

_He was his brother_

It hurt to think about why had they been separated, and why the blonde didn’t say anything. But Tubbo was sure he would find out sooner or later.

The clock continued to tic, resonating and echoing through the wide walls of Pogtopia

It was 1:26 am.

It was time to _leave._ They looked back to Pogtopia as they quietly climbed the wooden staircase, promising to come back once the wars were over. The clock marked 2:03am. It had been a long walk through the tunnels to resurface again; leaving Pogtopia behind hurt them both. Tommy had written letters addressing his brothers, telling them that they wouldn’t come back.

It hurt, but it was the right thing to do. Neither of them wanted to fuel the conflict further than it was necessary.

Tubbo had apparently talked to Techno about the plan when the other catched him sneaking into the farm to gather supplies. The other teen didn´t know what Tubbo said to him, but the pink-haired man let them go.

Tubbo walked with a happy pace, his bag was light-weight as he only took what was necessary, such as personal belongings and his clothes. Tommy on the other hand was struggling to carry his bags due to him insisting to carry everything he owned, even the damned _clock_. 

“I told you not to bring everything” said the brunette as Tommy fell to the side and cracked his knee “you’re not my mum, shut the hell up” the other answered as the tried his best to balance the weight on his shoulders.

They walked through the forest, avoiding mobs and thorny bushes. It wasn’t long before they reached the old gate of L´Manberg. The sun was barely peeking from the horizon.

Dream was already standing there, swinging his axe side to side. His dark green cloak was gone; instead he wore a cream coloured turtleneck sweater, his characteristic black combat pants with all the gear attached to them and his combat boots. He still had his smiley mask on.

His usual braided, dirty blonde hair now fell free reaching all the way down to his waist.

He looked relaxed, tranquil even.

Tubbo greeted him with a smile, shaking his hand as he stood in front him. The boy wouldn’t want to admit it, but he was eager to salvage and fix whatever brotherly relationship he could have with his brother.

“Are you both ready?” Dream asked them, his voice low and hushed. Even tho they were far away from anyone that might see them Tommy noticed that he was fidgeting.

_Dream was in a hurry to leave_

“Yeah, let’s go before these motherfuckers notice we´re gone”

The group made their way through the outskirts of L´Manberg, looking at their old home for one last time.

-x-

George stood by the entrance of the Community house, awaiting a certain masked man. He was supposed to arrive before midnight and it was now 4:45am…even Sapnap had arrived early!

It confused him, and he even felt frustrated.

The brunette wanted to make up to Dream for all the tensions and conflicts that had happened during the last weeks. He felt bad for the man that had to do everything by himself.

“You should probably go to sleep dude” said Sapnap as he walked up to where he was standing. The raven looked outside through the window and sighed “he´ll probably arrive in the morning, you know how he is”

Even tho Sapnap didn´t want to admit it, he still cared for Dream. No matter how reckless or rude the other may be.

George gave a defeated sigh as he headed back to his room, blissfully unaware of the three men that made their way through a Nether portal.

-x-

A few hours had passed since they crossed the portal; Tommy calculated that it was approximately 7:00am. But without the clock working properly it was rather difficult to predict what time it was. He clutched the small item into his hands, gleefuly thinking that he made the right choice by bringing it.

“Are we there yet?” he asked

The lava below them bubbled as the heat arose from the melted rocks. For once, Tommy was glad he didn’t wear a turtleneck under his shirt. The damp steam of the lava made the air heavy and hard to breathe. Around them several pigmen worked their way into the mines, strongly banging their pickaxes into the redden walls of the caves. The sounds of their mining echoed throughout the whole realm.

He hated the Nether. But he had to admit that it was useful.

The sign of the netherrack bridge read "southern regions". The bridge they were crossing was one that the members of the SMP rarely used as it led to a freezing tundra where the sun rarely shined during the winter, so it gave them some advantage if the others tried to track them down when they woke up, which would be in a few minutes if the sun had risen already.

It would buy them time to run.

Speaking of others…why had nobody answered him?

Dream and Tubbo walked ahead of him, eying the maps, counting the supplies and discussing what to do.

It was a good plan, but it had some flaws, and they couldn’t risk getting tracked and dragged back to the mess. Dream and Tommy were very vocal about it, Tubbo was more subtle, but it was clear that neither of them wanted to get involved any further.

“They shouldn’t be able to track us, the only that knows about this is Techno since he´s neutral” Tubbo said as he shoved the letter he received from the pink-haired man. The man had been taken aback that both teens were running away, but swore to keep their secret safe under the promises that one day they would be back.

A small smile formed under Dream´s mask “Perfect, let’s just hope they don’t notice that were gone for a few hours more”

They didn’t hear him, those arseholes…

“Dream, are we there yet?”

His question was ignored again as the other men kept rambling. It´d make the teen happy to see both brothers bond, but right now he was not in the mood for this ridiculous shit.

Tommy didn’t fully sympathize with Dream. He doesn’t hate him of course, and he can even tolerate him, but there are still some rough edges to go over before he can fully forgive the blond.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t find it amusing when he annoys him. 

Dream spoke again, this time clutching the small brown bag he carried at his side “I brought amour, supplies and books and I’ve managed to snatch some potions off George’s lab, they should last a while if we´re careful”

“I managed to sneak into the bakery to take some bread” Dream laughed “I didn’t know you had it in you Tubbs!”

“Me neither!”

The blonde inhaled again before screaming at the top of his lungs

“Are we there yet!?”

Both men tuned around to playfully glare at him before they yelled at the same time.

“Shut up Tommy”

Tommy promptly ignored them as he asked again, this time less louder “I said are we there yet?” Dream tried not to wheeze as he spoke to him “Not even close, child. There’s still hours of travel left to do”

 _This childish bastard-_ “Do not call me a child!” he protested, the tall blonde laughed again

“Whatever Tomathy”

Tubbo laughed in the background, his soft laugh filling both men with gleefulness. It had been more than a year since they´ve heard Tubbo laugh with such upbeat tone. No matter what meanigless arguments Tommy and Dream got into, it was still obvious that they were slowly getting along.

“Guys, don’t fight!” Tubbo said as he grabbed them both by their shoulders “Were all a happy family now!”

Tommy faked a gagging sound as he sprinted away from them “I don’t want to be a part of whatever this dickhead is in!”

“Tommy…”

Dream placed his hand on Tubbo´s shoulder “Let him be Tubbs”

This was the start of someting new. Unknowingly to them, a small figure watched them from the distance with a smile on his face.


	2. Walking upon unknown paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo and Dream walked by his side, chit-chattering about bees. In other circumstances Tommy would’ve been giddily about it, but now was not the time for small talk! Four hours had passed according to Tommy´s calculations, meaning that it was possibly 12:00am on the surface. A search party was probably or their way.

The Nether was one of the worst realms to be in; it was hot as balls, everything was on fire and the mobs were particularly easy to anger, not to mention that burning alive is one of the worst ways to die. But during these moments, it held a vague spark of hope for some people as a way to travel faster and leave behind everything the once knew and loved.

It had been difficult for the three of them, and in reality, running away had been a desperate measure they took to keep their sanity and their lives intact. They had formed an alliance with the man they once fought against during the revolution and placed their trust on him.

Both teens hoped they maade the right decision.

The trip has been tiring for all of them; after all, making you way through the Nether was a difficult task to complete with all the dangers it possessed. It was their only option for now, that way once they reached the surface again they would become practically untraceable.

At least Tommy hoped so…

Tubbo and Dream walked by his side, chit-chattering about _bees._ In other circumstances Tommy would’ve been giddily about hearing his friend and their ex-enemy chatter so friendly-like, but now was not the time for small talk! Four hours had passed according to Tommy´s calculations, meaning that it was possibly twelve o´clock on the surface.

A search party was probably or their way. Not that they would catch them, but still, they couldn’t risk it.

“Dream, are you sure they won’t be able to track us?” the teen asked the tall man. As much as he wanted to distrust the older man, slowly but surely he warmed up to him. For now that is, there´s still some things that he would like to settle before fully befriending him. Dream seemed calm and collected, with an obvious hint of immatureness, he wasn’t so bad to begin with, Tommy could totally be his friend. 

Dream turned to his side to face him, and even though he still had the porcelain mask on, Tommy swore that he could feel the other raising an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, all of them are too dense to organize a functioning searching party” he bluffed. Tubbo giggled at the mention of that.

There had been many occasions where L´Manberg had to organize searching parties to find whoever was missing…

Let’s just say that they had not been the best ones known to man-kind.

The small brunette spoke, his voice laced with a playful tone “that’s true, with any luck Wilbur won’t fall into a ditch this time”

This time the other two blondes laughed as hard as they could, Dream wheezing his lungs out. When he finally managed to breath properly he asked “he fell in what?!” he couldn’t believe that from all people Wilbur was the one to make such silly mistakes “Oh yeah, we don’t talk about that, it was a rather undignified moment for him” Tubbo responded to him as he giggled.

It was a rather happy scene to witness. The two long lost brothers found a way to bond and heal even during these harsh conditions.Tommy will never admit it, but he was happy for the two of em. Seeing his best friend and the green bastard being all giggly and joyfull together was heartwarming.

Around them the hot air of the nether began to dissipate, leaving only the permanent smell of melting rocks. At least they weren’t near the immense sea of lava anymore.

The path that they´d been walking on was barely used, and that was clearly evident as the cobblestone was beginning to crack under the weight of the boys. It wasn’t alarming, but it surely was unsettling. Dream had mentioned that he and Techno were the ones to pave this path, but after doing so they realized that probably nobody was going to use it.

Some minutes passed before the group decided to take a quick break by the greenish forest of the Nether. They settled under a small tree to avoid any Endermen that could be near and began to eat the baked potatoes and bread they brought for the trip.

Tommy was the most talkative out of the three, asking silly questions at his other companions. It went back and forth between him and Dream:

_Where did you live? Somewhere very far away from the Mainlands._

_What happened to make you leave? I prefer not mentioning that, Tommy._

_What’s your favourite mob? Endermen._

_I_ _f the war continued, how do you think it would´ve ended for you? With me in prison eating raw potatoes and being a dick._

And so on, suddenly, he asked Dream a not-so-silly question “For how long have you worn that mask?” he said as he took a bite out of the loaf of bread. The long-haired man paused for a moment, counting with his fingers “I think that it’s been at least eight years, why?”

_Eight years!? For that long had dream used the mask?_

The younger teen was shocked at the revelation. Dream chuckled as he munched his potato.

“I don’t want to pry that much” Tubbo made a small pause, as if to recollect his thoughts and word his question properly. After Dream nudged him on the side the brunette spoke again “...but why do you wear it?”

Tommy chimed in “Yeah bitch! You have something to hide?” Tubbo elbowed him rather roughly in the ribs “Tommy, don’t be like that!”

The blonde man gripped his mask rather softly, as if considering to take it off “I don’t remember why I use it…” he answered. His voice flat and devoid of any tone. It pained Tubbo to see that his brother still had some painful secrets, but hey, at least they´re back together! Surely it would take time for Dream to fully open to them, but for now, that was enough.

Not long after that, the group packed up their things and started walking again, making their way through the fortress and the pools of lava below them. They encountered some wither skeletons, but Dream took care of that before they had to engage in more fighting. His skill with the axe was far from being flawless, but it was still brutal enough to deal with the mobs in one or two blows.

Dream didn’t want the teens to deal with any more violence, he wanted them to fully enjoy their youth and live happily and healthy .

He wanted to protect them. And in that moment while he dustied his axe after fighting a skeleton, he promised himself that he would do anything he could to keep them safe.

After an hour of more walking through the harsh biomes of the Nether, they finally saw the portal they´d been searching.

“Here we are!”

The portal looked ancient at _best_ ; the obsidian looked charred and dusty, and the wooden platform around it was on the blink of breaking from rotting.

Still, this was their ticket to freedom and peace.

Tommy was the first to speak while looking through his items in his backpack “do you morons have any flint and steel, I have to light up this bitch” Tubbo and Dream made eye contact for a second or two before smirking. Dream was the first one to drop the joke as he tossed his lighter at Tommy.

“Look on the bright side of leaving, Bad´s not here to yell at you for that”

The group laughed as Tommy lit up the portal, the purple hue lighting up their faces and whispering soft promises of freedom and happiness. 

Without doubting it, the three of them crossed to the other side.


	3. Lost memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days had passed since the small group had left their old home and headed to their new one, they had crossed the Nether and walked upon cold, barren lands. Finally, they arrived at a small village where they found out that maybe not everything they knew was true.
> 
> Back in the Mainlands, the people have taken notice of the dissapearence of the youngest menbers of Pogtopia and the leader of the neutral faction.

In the overworld, things were not looking so good for a certain brunette man…

“Where are they?!” Wilbur almost screamed as he looked around the outskirts of L´Manberg, he could have sworn that he saw the two teens together before he headed back to Pogtopia _days_ ago. He almost ran through the debris of the last skirmishes when he had been looking for them.

_Where are they?_

_Did something happen?_

_Are they okay?_

Behind him, Niki did her best to keep up with the angered man “Wilbur, calm yourself” she yelled. She didn’t even know what was worrying her friend so much.

Wilbur turned around to face her, his eyes crazed and bloodshot “Niki you don’t get it, they had been missing since for two days! It´s fucking Wednesday and they´re still out there” he screamed as more tears feel from his tired eyes.

He had promised that he´d keep them safe, and now they were nowhere to be found.

Niki´s eyes widened, she felt a cold chill run down her spine as she considered all the possible scenarios.

_So that’s why he´s like that_

The blonde girl looked at him with a burning determination he hasn’t seen since the revolution “We´ll arrange a searching party, don’t worry” she said as she headed to L´Manberg, she was going to make the others look for the boys.

She had to bring them back.

Back in the community house, a lonely man looked outside his window in hopes of spotting his lover. George knew how distant Dream could be when he was frustrated, but the blonde would always be back by dawn; now the sun was in its peak and there was still no signal of Dream.

Now that would be something that George could comprehend if only one day had passed, the problem was…

It had been two and a half days since he last saw him.

George was worried, he was worried _so_ much.

It wasn’t like the blond was weak and couldn’t protect himself, but what if something happened in the forest and Dream was injured? What if the people from Pogtopia decided to take him hostage?

With a heavy sigh, George put on his goggles and headed straight to Manberg in hopes of finding the tall blonde. These last few weeks had been stressful for the two of them, Dream being away doing ender-knows-what and George trying to bond more with his new friends, Karl and Quackity.

He felt guilt crawl through his back; he hasn’t been spending time with the blonde

He needs to fix that.

While walking through the Prime path he spotted Sapnap just a few meters in front of him. He immediately ran to him.

“Sapnap, have you seen Dream?” he asked, his voice pleading. “I haven’t seen him since Monday!”

The raven gave him a puzzled look before he answered “I thought he was with you”. Which was true, Sapnap could’ve sworn that he saw dream heading to the community house. He knew that he and Dream were not on very good terms, but hell, it was his _best friend_. Surely the motherfucker wouldn’t do anything rash.

Both friends headed to Manberg, maybe the others had seen their friend, or maybe they knew where he was.

They hoped Dream was alright.

-x-

Deep underground, under Manberg, there was a small room with thousands of journals and piles of letters and artifacts.

The man in the middle of this was none other than the time-traveler himself.

Karl felt rally guilty for not telling his friends what was happening, but he couldn’t risk spoiling another timeline. He had already jumped around enough times to damage his memory; he didn’t want to find out what other damages he could do. And jumping wasn´t easy, he would have to find a fracture in the original timeline to tweak it and see how the outcomes would be.

The last timeline had been pretty messed up, with Dream spiraling into megalomaniatic tendencies and locked away in a prison called Pandora´s Vault and the people from both sides of the war had been infected by the egg.

And the little tweak he did in that one was trowing a venomus arrow to Tommy during the first war, from then it had spiraled like a snow-ball sliding down a hill.

It had ended badly, with everyone but him dead.

Now in this new one, Karl managed to fix the egg issue. He wrote down every single detail he could remember from the last one, and the one before that, and the one before that one, and the on-

Wait, he was side-tracking.

He rested his leader journal on the desk as he grabbed a picture of Dream and pinned it to the board in front of him. The man had always been a little odd in his opinion, but something wasn’t adding on…if he remember correctly, the last Dream he encountered had mentioned something about Cornelius while remaining imprisoned in the Vault.

But that was impossible, Cornelius died centuries ago in lands that were pretty far from the SMP. There was no way the man could know something about him.

Unless he had read Karl´s journals…or he wasn’t as human as everybody thought. Maybe he was immortal? Or maybe he was a time-traveler like him?

Those questions could wait for later, he had all the time in the world.

Timeline jumping was something that Karl shouldn’t do, obviously things as simple time-traveling were okay for him, but completely hopping around timelines was harming not only for him, but the rest of the world.

For the time being, Karl wasn’t going to interfere anymore. He´d watch from the sidelined in hopes of this timeline to be a happy one. This was the last chance to change the future; if he tried to make another jump or another tweak he was sure that he´d end up loosing all his memories or worse. He would end up lost in the void.

It was up to the new-formed family to pull through this timeline.

-x-

The trio arrived to a small village in the tundra, the houses were made of dark wood and cobblestone. The cold, harsh winter wind wipped the boys in the face as they kept on walking through the main path of the place. The more they walked around, the more it seemed like a farm instead of a town.

Since they entered the frozen biome, Dream gave the teens his dark green cloak so they woudn´t struggle with the cold. Dream was barely shaking, but they other two werent so lucky as they shook around like leaves threatening to fall from a tree.

"Are you two okay?" the eldest asked. Tommy and Tubbo only nodded as they kept on huddling together for warmth.

There was no-one in the houses, and now that they took a moment to peek inside through the windows, it seemed like they were used for storage of livestock and perishables.

Suddenly, a pink-haired man in a dark blue coat emerged from one of the houses, wielding a diamond sword. He looked straight into the trio as the others stared back in shock.

Tubbo finally managed to speak as the snow began to fall around them

"Technoblade?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Thanks for reading. I´ve been planning out this fic for quite some time now, and I´l probablly do a prequel to explain some of my lore.
> 
> I´ll update this work every 2-3 days, as i still have other 5 ones to work in.
> 
> Remember to drink water and sleep! See y´all in the next update.


	4. Snowflakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The small snowflakes hit Dream´s mask, resting on the flat porcelain surface. His long hair flowed free in the chilly breeze as he let a content laugh as more snowflakes fell onto his hands.
> 
> Tubbo and Tommy looked at his as if he was growing a second head, and the blonde told them
> 
> "I had forgotten how nice snow felt"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK Y´ALL! Exams really took a toll on my mental health so I kinda took a break. I apologize for any spelling errors this might have, remember that I have dislexia so I might slip up or phrase things weird lolz  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Dream and the kids have been traveling for about two weeks now without a rest. Two busy weeks of crossing the Nether, rowing a boat across a lake and venturing into the tundra. The initial tensions between them had almost dissipated, leaving a calming sense of familiarity in the group.

And now, by the looks of it, they crashed into Technoblade´s home.

“Technoblade?”

The hybrid looked at them for a moment before jokingly saying “Welcome to Techno village”

Tommy was the first to speak “Techno, you really suck at naming things” he said as he tried and failed to hide his giggles. The over-sized green cape he wore over his shoulders gave him a naïve, idiotic look in Techno´s opinion. The hybrid did´t miss his younger brother that much, but he was glad to see him in good conditions.

“What are you doing here?” Tubbo asked, not realizing that they were the ones invading the other one´s home. Dream mentally slapped himself as he heard the brunette´s question. “I can ask the same to you” the hybrid asked them, seemingly calm. Tommy stepped forward, gripping his iron pickaxe “Don’t try to twist this around you pork chop!” he spat.

Tubbo was fast enough to pin his reckless friend down before he did anything rash “Tommy, calm down” he screamed as the blonde teen muffled curses while Tubbo pressed his face flat to the ground

In other circumstances, Dream would have found that skirmish funny, but right now he had to convince the hybrid to not chop their heads off.

The blonde man stepped forward to greet his old friend; they shook hands as he asked “Is this your home Techno?” the other gave him an obnoxious look “Yes, so what are you three lanky motherfuckers doing here?” he said with mild annoyance.

“Well, do you remember that we ran away from the server…” Tommy said as he stood up and put his pickaxe away, his blonde curly hair bouncing as he approached his adoptive brother.

“Yeah?” Technoblade didn’t like where this was going. He had taken a short-cut to his home after the teens revealed their plan expecting to retire and live in peace, but he didn’t expect them to walk straight into his farm.

He cannot have nice things, can he?

The boy took a deep breath before speaking way too fast “Well we wanted to settle very far away so they wouldn’t find us” he looked around the farm and the house, and a wide grin made its way to his face “and by the looks of it, we kinda crashed in your place”

The duo looked at him with pleading eyes and Dream stood there fidgeting with his hands, _these motherfuckers_ “Fine, come inside before you freeze your asses off”

They cheered as they followed the hybrid back inside the house. Dream gave him an apologetic smille under the mask as the teens started screaming over something.

Techno sighted, it was going to be a long winter.

-x-

They have been away from the SMP for a month and a half now, and things for the new formed family have been looking bright despite the cold weather.

Tommy and Dream had a screaming match that ended in tears and hugs a few days ago. It wasn’t the best way to work things out, but Tubbo was glad that at least now neither of them held any resentment to the other.

In fact, he could say that Dream was very close on adopting the loud teen as his own brother.

Dream also revealed to them that he used to be George´s partner, but after fleeing the mainland, he doubted the other wanted to do anything with him. Tubbo held his brother as he sobbed and cried over the loss of his partner, claiming that things were not the same before he left him.

It wasn’t easy for the young boy to see his usually stoic and distant brother be so openly hurt, but he did his best to be there for him. Even when he couldn´t see him cry under the mask.

Now, they walked through the forest, carrying more wood and meat back to the main house. The eldest one had dealt with the hunting, leaving the teens to chop off some trees. Tubbo knew why Dream refused to let them take part on the hunting; it was because he was afraid.

Deep down, Dream was afraid to lose his family. But that’s a talk for a later date.

Heavy snowflakes fell onto their faces, making the skin in their ears and noses slightly red. Tubbo coughed a couple of times before opting to put his make-shift scarf around his face. The small snowflakes hit Dream´s mask, resting on the flat porcelain surface and falling down to his exposed chin. His long hair flowed free in the chilly breeze as he let a content laugh as more snowflakes fell onto his hands.

Tubbo and Tommy looked at his as if he was growing a second head, and the blonde told them

"I had forgotten how nice snow felt"

Sometimes they forget that Dream was young too as the man was barely in his twenties, and that he missed half of his teen years due being involved in wars and conflicts. And well, it was no secret that Puffy was an absent mother with all the sailor life she had going on back in the day.

Seeing Dream live care-free again after all those years of conflicts and caring for himself when his mother couldn’t, it made the teen feel glad that at least they managed to have a happy childhood.

After a while, the conversation between them shifted to what they´d do when winter was over. Of course techno would want them to move out, not that they opposed tho.

“Well, I suggest becoming wanderers” Tubbo said while Tommy and Dream fought over settling on the tundra near Technoblade or the jungle “and why´s that?” asked Dream, his tone had worry laced into it. Tubbo gave him a comforting smile before continuing, knowing that his brother wanted to keep them out of trouble for the rest of their lives if possible “Because what if the others manage to track us down in the future?”

Well, he has a point. Dream said to himself as they made their way back to the house.

“We´ll do your little idea when the winter is over, is that okay Tubbs?” the tall blonde responded. Tubbo nodded as he and Tommy started playing around in the snow.

They arrived at the house before the sunset. The blonde dropped some of the wood into the fireplace and left the rest beside it. Technoblade was working on some signs on the table.

When dream got a look of what the other was carving he laughed “Why is therapy spelled wrong?” he wheezed. The wooden sign had the word _“theorapy”_ carved into it. Techno stood in front of the sign before replying “it’s a hard word to spell”

“You´re an English major!” Dream laughed harder. The teens behind them giggled as they witnessed the interaction between the so _sworn enemies_ they said they were “And I dropped out to pursue my potato-farming career back in the day”

Dinner went as usual with Tommy and Dream making jokes every now and then and Techno re-telling embarrassing stories about his adoptive brother. Techno didn’t miss the quietness of his home; his family´s antics provided some sort of soothing comfort. Sure some days the bitches would be somehow loud, but he loved them nonetheless.

Suddenly, Tommy jokingly asked Dream if his loyalty truly laid with them as he had never revealed his face to them. It was supposed to be a meaningless joke, but the man took it personally, as always. He stood up from his chair and made a dramatic pose.

“Well if you want me to prove my loyalty…” he said as he reached for the buckles that kept his mask on “you could have just asked”

The smiley mask came falling to the ground, shattering as it made impact against the wooden floor. Porcelain shards and leather strips laid on the floor as the room went quiet.

_Dream had taken off the mask, and it broke…holy fuck the mask is gone_

To say the teens were shocked was an understatement, because, since when had Dream shown his face to anyone?!

His eyes were green like the forests during spring, and Tommy would be lying if he said that they didn’t glow every time the man blinked. His eyes were sharp and held a tired gleam to them. His slightly tanned skin was coated in freckles and scars.

And now that he was able to see his teeth, he could swear that his canines were sharper than those of the monsters in the overworld.

The man´s hair was long enough to reach his lower back, the soft blondish curls framed Dream´s face in a messy frame as they stuck and stood out in every direction.

Now that was a shocking revelation. And well, now they can see the similarities between him and Tubbo; same eye-shape, same chin, same bone structure, you name it.

Both Tommy and Tubbo quietly analysed Dream´s features, Techno simply hummed in surprise.

“Why did you do that?” Tubbo asked his brother, finally breaking the silence. Dream gave him a soft smile as he patted his hair “To show you guys that I trust you, I’ve never showed my face to anyone besides George and Sapnap” he made a pause before extending his arms to the sides “count this as a new beginning”

“You know what, bitch?...” Tommy said, looking at the older man that stood right in front of him “You’re way more expressive without that mask on”

Dream wheezed as he processed what Toms had said. It was true, he was never good enough to hide his emotions and keep up a straight face for more than five minutes.

He had dimples, it wasn’t a very outstanding feature, but it was enough to make Techno smile at the sight of his old friend being more free and careless, just like old times were the two of them fought in the MCC competitions every year; back when they had adventures every now and then in other people´s servers.

Sadly, after creating this server and doing his best to keep it in one piece, the man had become more tired and frustrated. The pink-haired hybrid knew what the other went through for a long time

Now, he was glad that Dream finally had a place to call home and people to call family. And Techno will do anything in his power to keep him and the boys safe and happy.

After some hours of joking and shit-talking about the members of other servers, Dream and Technoblade were left alone in the living room and the teens made their way to the small creek outside, supposedly to explore and play around.

Techno was the first one to speak “So you rascals will be staying here until winter ends?”

“Yup”

“When the time comes for you to leave, where will you go?” Dream seemed deep in thought for a few minutes before answering “I dunno, probably we´ll wander through the biomes until deciding to settle or return back here to annoy the shit out of you”

The fire flickered and danced around, devouring the wood underneath its flames. It gave dream a faint sense of déjà vu “Since when do you care for them?” the other man asked him, his voice soft and curious. He didn´t distrust the man that was seated right infront of him, but after all the wars between L´Manberg and his side, he found it odd that he cared for Tommy out of all people.

“I never once said I didn’t, I just didn’t show it”

Which was true, Dream had never been comfortable with the idea of harming the kids in any kind of way, but the L´Manberg revolution had happened and he was left with no choice but to lead his own side.

It had been a long fight, but in the end, both he and the L´Manbergians came to a deal.

The duel

Dream still shudders when he remembers the exact moment his arrow hit its target, Tommy. In the moment all the blonde had wanted to do was rush to his side and give him a healing potion and apologize, but he knew his friends were going to held him down.

Even after the agreements between sides Schlatt came to power and wrecked what the people had been fighting for. The drunk man burned down the flag and pride of the nation, and in the process, wreaked Wilbur´s sanity.

Dream was _so_ tired

He was tired of every conflict escalating without control; he was tired of spiralling in frustration as he stood back and watched his land being tattered with.

That’s why he ran away. He left his duties as leader of the neutral faction and admin of the server and just ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

At first he wanted to do it alone, but after hearing Tommy and Tubbo discuss the idea on the bench, he couldn’t help but to worry about their safety. What if they came across many mobs and were left outnumbered? What If something happened to them and they never came back? What if they felt like they couldn’t rely on nobody on the SMP…?

What if…?

Suddenly both teens slammed the door open as they made their way inside the warmth of the house. For what it looked like it seemed that they fell into the cold water as they looked soaked to the bone.

“What did you two do this time?” he asked as they dripped water all over the carpet on the entrance. The hybrid sighed in annoyance as he went to the other room to get the mop.

The teens looked at themselves for a second before screaming “Nothing!” at the same time.

Techno carried the mop to the entrance “Come on you two, grab a change of clothes and sleep by the fireplace” he said as he did his best to clean up the mess of water and mud they left behind.

Tommy and Tubbo went back to the living room some minutes after, cuddling together in front of the fireplace. Their older brothers laid on the couches as they continued their conversation in hushed voices.

Dream drifted off to sleep at one point, finally relaxing after years of stress and wars. It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to take a break and lay off, if he remembers correctly, it had been more than a century. His immortality and cycle of dying and being born again is something that his family will not understand, not right now at least. He had lived many lifetimes and lived under countless different names, yet he never had a home of his own.

Now, he had a "blood related" brother to take care off, a teen that he might as well adopt as his own and an old friend who was stuck under the same paradox as him.

He was finally home.

Unknowingly to the new family, things back in the mainland had went from bad to worse when all the server noticed that two teens and the admin were gone.

Nobody knew about their whereabouts, even Philza switched servers to look for his adopted son and Puffy came back as soon as she could when she heard her duckling was missing.

Peace treaties were signed in the matter of days and wars were put on hold as friends and enemies alike joined together to search for their lost friends. Some, like Wilbur, were desperate to find the teens before something happened to them.

Others like Quackity and Sam were there just for the sake of finding the admin before the world went to shit.

Karl took his journal with him, it was now or never. This was a one-in-a-lifetime chance he was not willing to give up.

George was one of the first ones to lead the search; he needed to bring his lover back, even if it meant that he had to ally with the people of Manberg. Sapnap stood right by his side, no matter what the blonde did in the past, he looked for him everywhere.

It was no secret that admins could die, and Sapnap wanted that to be just a speculation.

After some weeks, they found the letters that the teens left behind, safely tucked away under their pillowcases. It seemed like they ran away in fear after Wilbur threatened to take further action when Schlatt climbed to power.

As for Dream, they found an apology letter address to his friends

What they didn’t find was a small envelope containing coordinates to find them, as well as a small letter that talked about how much he wanted to run away that was signed under the name _Cornelius_.

One thing was clear for them; they needed to bring them back. Nobody understood the trio´s wishes of peace and solitude.

They were going to find them, no matter what it took

And so the hunt began, or well, they called it a “manhunt”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! whoo! This was was mainly fluff and a mild timeskip to make things easier for me. I´m sorry for not updating, but I took a small break to further expand this work´s universe and think about more things to add to this bad boy. The next chapter will probably be from Wilbur or George´s point of view, but I´m not going to spoil anything.
> 
> Kuddos and comments are heavily appreciated. See y´all on the next update!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had this idea way back before the Festival of the smp took place, but up until now I had no idea on how to write it. This work can be tagged as an alternate universe, as the Dream here is way more humane and childish that in canon. Also, Dream in this fic has been way more deattached from the events in the server, so he hasn´t done any crazy bad shit.  
> I apologize for any gramatical miskakes you might come across, english is my weakest language.
> 
> Leave any suggestions in the comments. See you all in the next update!


End file.
